The Furnace's Roar
The raw, wild power burst from the forge like a untamed stallion.
Rune slowly reined it in.
The pitch-black energy swirled around him like a puppy reunited with its master.
'So far, so easy.'
Rune drew the Seal of Darkness into his paw.
Crackle!
Lightning like black ravens tore through the air.
Even without fully manifesting it, the destructive force twisted ominously.
It settled heavily onto the hatchling's forepaw.
"Kyuuuuh."
'Good thing Christina and Perdikion aren't here.'
They would've surely tried to stop him from using such dangerous power.
It was that ferocious.
But he guided it smoothly, calmly.
The greedy darkness whimpered.
It wanted to devour the fire energy filling the surroundings.
[Enter.]
A single short command.
The darkness gradually subsided.
While handling the power tempered by the fire energy, Rune murmured softly.
[Soon, I'll send you something perfect for you all. Just hold on a bit.]
Shhh!
The black darkness circled Rune's forepaw and the seal before gradually calming.
The interior brightened noticeably.
The forge, now infused with dark power, stood in majestic splendor.
Rune gazed at it thoughtfully.
'Holding the line here all alone in the realm of fire, with dragon power.'
He chuckled inwardly.
"Kyuu kyuu."
'Time to head back.'
Rune wagged his tail lazily and waddled back to his original spot.
"Kyuu."
[It's done.]
"Ppi-yak!"
Baekya flapped its wings vigorously two or three times atop Heungmi's head, stretching its legs out straight.
"Ppip!"
The white bird's spirited cry made it look immensely proud.
Baekya had been shielding the dwarves from the fire energy.
With the bird standing like a barrier in front, the dwarves huddled together behind it.
The dwarves' eyes were wide, mouths agape.
Eyes that screamed, 'This easily?'
"Rune-nim!"
Heungmi waved one hand cheerfully, her face innocent as ever.
Only then did the dwarves snap out of it.
"Truly magnificent!"
Scott clapped as he stepped forward.
"It would surge occasionally, but we'd always managed with magic stones."
Scott glanced around, his eyes gleaming as he continued.
"To settle it so cleanly like this. As expected of the Master of Darkness!"
Just as Scott licked his lips to continue his praise—
Rune cut in first.
"Kyuu."
[But I can't keep coming to fix it like this every time, right?]
Scott, unable to hide his dismay, fumbled his words.
"W-Well... y-yes, of course... You do have your sleep periods, after all..."
It was obvious.
Pump up the young hatchling with flattery, then slyly ask for a way to handle emergencies for their workshop.
Rune thought to himself.
'Not like this is my first time dealing with dwarves.'
His gaze subtly shifted to Jed.
The money-grubber had pulled the same stunts for his own goals.
'Such transparent folks.'
Not exactly virtuous, but predictable as daylight.
To keep their nature from causing trouble, Rune decided to address it lightly.
He flashed an innocent, harmless hatchling smile.
"Kyuu."
[I figured you'd think that. I always believe it's best to consider the situation and speak accordingly, no matter the reason. Right?]
"Ahem! Indeed, quite right."
Scott's eyes lit up, and the dwarves behind him nodded like machines flipping a switch.
Quick-witted Jed looked at them in disbelief and barked.
"What? Surely you're not trying to use Rune-nim?"
The full-grown dwarves fidgeted before the pint-sized doll Jed.
"No! How could we? We just hoped for a little help when our own strength fell short..."
"Tsk tsk."
Jed rubbed his forehead with a look of exasperation, shaking his head slowly.
"How far you have to go. You lot! How dare you entertain such wicked thoughts toward Rune-nim!"
Rune's eyes clouded over at Jed's theatrical gestures and words.
'You did the exact same thing.'
Anyone listening might think he was some loyal retainer.
All he had was a mustache and a bit more decorum.
Scott shared some of Jed's traits.
Unable to stand it, Rune spoke up.
"Kyuuu."
[Enough. Jed, you were like that once too.]
"When was I ever?"
Looking at Jed's straight-faced denial, Rune nearly laughed.
'Playing it like that, huh.'
A perfect case of the frog forgetting its tadpole days.
Rune pulled out his transformation golden bracelet and said.
"Kyuu."
[I still vividly remember our trip to the market.]
Back at the black market, Jed had even tried something like blackmail on Rune.
Jed, visibly guilty, broke into a cold sweat.
"Th-that was... haha, just a youthful mistake!"
Glancing around, Jed sidled up and whispered to Rune.
"Rune-nim! You know that was truly, truly regrettable. I suffered too, you know? Please go easy here."
Rune tilted his head as if pondering.
Then, slipping on the golden bracelet, he reverted to human form and spoke.
"Well, everyone makes mistakes, right?"
"! Of course, absolutely!"
Jed eagerly seized the opening and added slyly.
"So, if I may, I'll just teach these fellows a bit of proper etiquette toward you, Rune-nim. They can't afford to make my kind of mistake, after all."
Jed, wiser now, knew full well that mistreating a dragon could doom the dwarves.
'They probably have their own dwarf codes too.'
Rune nodded.
"Fine."
"Phew! Thank you, Rune-nim."
Jed replied, tapping Scott's foot with his tiny dwarf one.
His silent lip movements clearly said 'Watch it.'
Scott immediately bowed his head.
"Thank you, Rune-nim."
"""Thank you!"""
The other dwarves bowed in unison, and Heungmi blinked up at Rune.
"Everyone's Rune-nim's subordinate? Then Rune-nim's the big boss?"
Rune's brow furrowed instinctively.
"Where'd you pick that up?"
Heungmi's bright reply warmed the back of his head.
"When Uncle Jed was helping, I heard it in the human village!"
"......"
Rune shot Jed a steady glance and spoke.
"We'll talk later, Jed."
"Urk."
Jed might feel wronged, but tough luck.
Especially that "big boss" talk—it sounded like something from a shady gang.
Suddenly, a question crossed Jed's mind.
'Huh, but how did Rune-nim figure that out?'
Just as he pondered the oddity, Rune said.
"Once Grace arrives, she can stabilize the power. Looks like it surges like that from time to time."
Scott brightened.
"As expected, you saw right through it. We suppress it with fire energy, but the outbursts are exhausting."
The black forge dwarves refined darkness with fire to craft gear and tools.
The problem was when the dark power grew unusually strong.
'They're pros at handling hot fire qi, but they can't treat dark qi the same way.'
The cause of the surges.
Mishandling items infused with black dragon power.
Impressive they'd managed this long despite repeated issues.
Rune spoke.
"Darkness is inherently tricky to handle. You've managed so well thanks to your skill and craftsmanship."
Over a hundred years ago.
Scales from a mere 10-year-old dark hatchling.
The power within was just manageable for them, requiring fine control and artistry.
Rune addressed the gathered dwarves.
"You've struggled plenty tuning that dark power. Soon, I'll assign someone who can handle it perfectly."
Smiles spread across their faces.
Rune had pinpointed the issue instantly, resolving their worries on the spot.
A short-haired female dwarf spoke up.
"Now the 'Black Forge' can produce works stably!"
"Great, great!"
The joyful dwarves clapped hands or high-fived.
With business done, Rune prepared to leave without lingering.
"I'll be off then."
The dwarves looked reluctant.
"Already? Call on us anytime you need our strength!"
Rune paused at that, then replied.
"I was planning to. Hone your skills until then."
"Of course!"
"When the time comes, use me!"
"Me too!"
Enthusiastic responses echoed around.
Rune smiled faintly.
"Thanks, everyone."
Their help would be needed sooner than expected.
Rune opened his subspatial pouch and handed over magic stones.
"You'll need to make something later. These are for that."
"Ooooh!"
The dwarves gasped in unison.
"Black pearls and white pearls?!"
"What?!"
"Show me too!"
"Me, let me touch!"
A mad glint shone in their eyes at the rare magic stones.
They'd heard rumors of white pearls.
But black pearls didn't exist in this world.
Pure magic stones infused with dark power—the dwarves' eyes darted wildly.
The one who'd casually received them from Rune was squeezed amid the frenzy, trembling as he asked.
"Where on earth did you get such treasures!?"
"Rune-nim, please, just once!"
"I'm a dragon. Hoarding treasure's nothing special."
Rune brushed it off, gathering Heungmi and Baekya.
"Let's go. Business here is done."
"Argh! How do you even get these?!"
As the dwarves jumped in frustration, Rune slipped away with drooling Jed, Heungmi, and Baekya.
"Been a while since I saw that madness."
Rune shook his head wearily, and Jed replied.
"That's mild. If they knew my body used those pearls, they'd dismantle me."
Rune glanced at Jed, who laughed heartily as if reminiscing fondly.
'Dwarves gonna dwarf.'
It instantly recalled the frenzy over weapons and materials from the old smithing days.
Rune told Jed.
"Jed, head back to the Gaetong-pa. With you guiding them on dark power, their skills will improve fast."
"Yes, sir! What about you, Rune-nim?"
Rune recalled his next plans.
His gaze drifted to the midday street.
'Perfect time to investigate with someone who knows the female dwarves well.'
Decision made, Rune spoke.